Sun Awareness Week

Sun Awareness Week falls between the 3rd-9th May this year; it encourages us to take a cautious approach when enjoying the sun to protect our skin health, alongside raising awareness of the benefits of getting enough sunlight too. In this blog, we explore the benefits of the ‘sunshine vitamin’, plus share some ways you can protect your skin.

The sunshine vitamin

Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, can be absorbed by the body from the sun’s rays.

Vitamin D comes with an abundance of health benefits, from being beneficial for your immune system, to helping to strengthen your bones and maintain calcium levels, it’s a powerful vitamin indeed! You can top up your Vitamin D levels naturally by spending at least 15 minutes outside every day, and eating foods rich in this vitamin such as oily fish, eggs, mushrooms, some cereals and dark leafy greens.

Happy days

Ever wondered why you feel happier when the sun’s out? Sunshine can boost your serotonin levels, which in turn can improve your mood. Plus, increased exposure to natural light may help reduce the symptoms of SAD (seasonal affective disorder), which is characterised by a change in your mood, and often associated with the cold, winter months.

Wear an SPF

Although the weather is a bit changeable at the moment, it’s still important to wear an SPF when out and about as we can still be exposed to UV rays – even when it’s cloudy! A good habit to adopt is using an everyday moisturiser which contains SPF. You could even double up and invest in a foundation containing SPF, for extra sun protection. As the sun can cause the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, if you spend a lot of time outdoors you might want to incorporate products which include anti-wrinkle technology and ingredients such as collagen.

Sleep well

Did you know that your body creates a hormone called melatonin which may help to improve our sleep? Well, just an hour of natural light exposure in the morning can influence our melatonin production, which may improve your quality of sleep.

Regular sunshine exposure may help to regulate our natural circadian rhythm by telling our body when to increase and decrease melatonin levels, which helps to keep us balanced.